Radioactive
by Lady Bordeaux
Summary: You've all heard of Kya, Aang and Katara's daughter. But you don't know her story. Aang and Katara believed she was dead after she went missing when she was seventeen. So, what happens when she shows up in Republic City, alive...and still seventeen? Iroh/Kya
1. Chapter 1

**READ AUTHOR'S NOTE FIRST!**

**Hey! Sorry for the forcefullness (is that a word?) of the beginning of this note, but the note is very important. Now, before your read this story, know this: At first, Kya (the (sort of) OC) will most likely come off as the worst Mary-Sue you will ever read this prologue. Do not worry. I am working incredibly hard to make sure that she was flaws, and is a realistic, human character, because I'm prone to making Mary-Sue characters. I don't want to mess this one up. **

**Now, as you will learn, Kya is a prodigious water bender, as Azula is a prodigious fire-bender. I'm not going to make Kya extremely totally amazing, though, because, even for a prodigy, that's kind of impossible. However, she is a very good waterbender, and you'll learn why soon enough. **

**Now, for the Mary-Sue quality: She can draw water out of thin air. **

**Now, before you go all wierd on me, I already came up with a kind of crappy but sort of decent explanation as to why, and you'll hear about it in a few chapters. **

**If you have any suggestions as to how to make Kya anti-sue, please tell me, and if you do, I'll be very grateful. **

**Enjoy!**

**Prologue**

_**Like Father, Like Daughter**_

It was an annoyingly windy day. Sitting down on the stone bench, I let out a deep sigh and rested by chin on my hand. My eyes flitted around the small area before me, taking in the cliffs around me. I wasn't exactly sure where we lived, to be honest. I knew that it was somewhere in the South Pole, though. Why we didn't live in Republic City, I wasn't sure. My dad spent nearly all his time there, and was only home for a short vacation. My mom had always said that she was keeping an eye out for the next avatar, which would be a waterbender. I always told her that the waterbender could be in the Northern Tribe, and besides, the Avatar probably wouldn't be born for a long time. She always responded by telling me that I argued too much, and avoided by statement completely.

You know, the usual thing.

Scowling, I sighed and stood up once again. The wind whipped my hair around my face, and after pushing it back, I took a deep breath and walked a few steps forward.

For a second, I closed my eyes, concentrating. Lifting my hand in the air, I opened my eyes once more and focused by energy on the air in front of me.

A small ball of water floated in the air in front of me. I let myself smile widely; it was a skill I'd spent ages working on. I still wasn't very good at it, and I definitely needed a lot of practice before I could master it.

Even with these thoughts, I was still smiling like an idiot. At least I could summon a little bit of water. At least it wasn't nothing.

After letting the water drop to the ground, I turned to the small fountain off to the side. Lifting up my arms, the water glided towards me, and in a swift, well-practiced movement, the water seperated, turned into iced spikes, and struck in the ground in a circle around me.

I smiled proudly. _Perfect_.

"Kya!"

My smile vanished. Sighing in irritation, I spun around to see my mother walking towards me, a nervous expression on her face. I crossed my arms. "Yes, mom?"

My mom sighed deeply. Taking a deep breath, she began, "Listen, Kya, I've been needing to talk to you about something."

There was a silence. Raising my eyebrow, I asked, "About what?"

She didn't respond. Instead, she sighed once more and plopped herself down on the stone bench that I had been sitting on. Patting the space next to her, she said, "Sit, Kya."

I obliged, my arms still crossed.

"Now," she began, "before I tell you this, you have to promise not to get angry."

A small bubble of worry welled up in my chest. Before I could stop myself, I asked, "Is dad not coming for vacation?" I frowned at the thought. I was really looking forward to him visiting us. It only happened every so often.

She shook her head, and my worry died down a little. Then, I asked, "Then what is it?"

She shifted uncomfortably before answering, "I think you need to take a break from your training."

I blinked. "What?" I asked. "Why? I've been doing great. I just now learned how to pull water out of air-"

"I know," she interrupted, "and I'm _so_ proud of you, Kya. It's just, Tenzin is just now starting to grow into his air bending. I've decided that, since you already excel at waterbending, I should take a break from training you. You know, so I can focus on Tenzin for a little while."

I stared at her in angered shock. "Mom, how _could _you! I've got to keep training! Why can't you just send Tenzin to live with Dad in Republic City?"

Her eyes widened. "You would really be fine with sending your own brother away?" She asked, crossing her arms.

I scowled and rolled my eyes. "Well, if get to keep training, then yes, of course!"

My mom stared at me as if I were from a different planet. "Kya, I really don't know what to do with you..." she muttered, more to herself than to me.

I was opening my mouth to spit out a retort when a realization hit me, like a ton of bricks. "This is about Azula, isn't it?" I spat, narrowing my eyes.

A look of confusion spread across her face. "Excuse me?"

I clenched my fists and answered, "Oh, you know what I'm talking about. You always said that Azula went insane because she abused her power as a prodigy - that having those skills ruined her mind and corrupted her."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

I scowled. "You also always said that all prodigies ended up crazy or corrupted. You said that they are never a good thing."

"I still don't get how this relates-"

"Mom, why don't you _get _it? Dad told me himself that I'm a prodigy, just like Azula and Azulan! If you think that about them, then you must think that about me!"

She shook her head. "Sweetheart, I would _never _think that about-"

I let out a humorless laugh, trying to hold back the angry tears that burned my eyes and clouded my vision. "Don't _lie_, Mom. You may think I'm stupid, but I'm smarter than you think."

My mom's hurt expression turned stern. "Kya, don't you _dare_ accuse me of lying to you!"

I felt like my insides were going to explode with rage. I just wanted to punch a wall, and break a floor in half with a water spike. Anything to get out the burning anger that choked me. "You _are _lying to me! Why are you denying it?"

My mother's face was completely red with anger. In a tone that I'd never heard her use before, she yelled, "_Kya, I am just trying to help you!"_

Her face was streaked with tears, now, her eyes already turning bloodshot.

I took a step back from her, a horrified expression on my face. "So you _do_ think I'm like Azula?"

My mom opened her mouth to answer me, but before I could give her a chance, I turned all my heel and ran.

I heard her calling my name, over and over. I didn't stop.

I really, _really _wish that I had.

...

I practically ran till Kingdom Come. I just kept running and running. Before long, I was out in the open snow-encased cliffs, the cold wind biting my arms and face. Gritting my teeth, I ran on.

I don't know how long it was before I finally stopped, but when I did, it took all my energy to keep from falling in the snow, right then and there.

I turned around, and when I did, I almost choked on my tongue. I saw absolutely nothing but snow and cliffs. A sudden, cold fear wrenched up inside me.

_Why am I even out here? I shouldn't have ran..._

My head swiveled around wildly. I began walking back in the direction that I came from.

That's when it happened.

It started with a deep rumbling. I stopped dead in my tracks, water trailing down my face, from tears, as well as melted snow. Then, the snow before me opened up, and just like that, I fell into the ground.

I screamed bloody murder as I fell. The temperature seemed to drop almost twenty degrees, going from twenty to zero in half a second. And just when I thought the fall wouldn't ever end, I hit the water.

I almost screamed at the cold. It surrounded me, suffocating me, wrapping me in its deathly grip like an iron hand. I soon found that I _was_ screaming. I clawed wildly at the surrounding water, as if waving my arms would make it all go away.

It didn't help, as you can probably guess. In fact, it only made it worse.

I felt myself sinking, and a deep horror rose up in my chest.

_I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die..._

My feet touched the bottom.

Desperate to get a good boost, I let myself sink until my legs were crouched. Then, after taking off my jacket, I gathered up all my strength and pushed myself up.

After what seemed like forever, I broke the surface. I gasped, breathing in the fresh air gratefully. My limbs numb, I opened my eyes, and found that almost nothing in my vision changed. There was still complete darkness.

_Of course...I'm underground._

Deciding I had to trust my instincts, I moved forward in the water. I sighed in relief when my hands hit ice. Lifting up my hands, they found that edge of the pool I was in. Using all of my remaining strength, I pulled myself up and slid onto the cold, icy ground.

I lay there for ages, my eyes closed, my whole body aching. I only moved slightly when I heard voices. At first, I couldn't tell what they were saying, but soon enough, I was able to decipher it: they were calling my name.

I wanted to call back. I really, truly did. But when I tried, nothing came out but a tortured squeak. I tried many times to speak, and eventually, my voice almost turned back to normal. But when it did, whoever it was, was long gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey**! **I would like to thank the two people who reviewed this; it really made my day. I didn't think it'd get any reviews, to be honest. It was really just me trying to get rid of a plot bunny that's been hopping around in my head for at least three months. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1**

_**12 BSC - 153 ASC**_

_Water. _

_It crushed me. It suffocated me. I flailed my arms out crazily, trying to pull myself up, but it was as if a large, crushing weight was pushing me down. _

_I expected to hit the bottom, so I could push myself up. Only, I didn't. I continued to be dragged by the invisible rope, down to the very bottom, wherever that bottom was._

_I tried to fight it, but my head was spinning, and my lungs were burning. I wanted to scream, but I knew I'd only waste breath._

_And then, just when I thought I'd hit the bottom, I was yanked down even farther, and the awaiting scream finally ripped its way out of my throat. I screamed and screamed as I was pulled into the darkness. _

I woke up gasping, a scream echoing in the darkness of the small house. I immediately put a hand to my mouth, waiting quietly for any signs of movement.

Nothing.

I let out a deep sigh of relief and fell back on the lumpy bed that I'd grown used to. Turning over on my side, and scowled slightly when I saw the time on the clock: 3 fifty-six a.m. I sighed. _Well, there's no hope of going back to sleep, now. _

I pulled myself out of bed and stood quietly for a few moments, stretching my arms. My gaze shifted to the other make-shift bed that sat in the corner, where Helma dozed peacefully, her sleeping self as quiet as ever. Quietly as I could, I tiptoed over to the door and slowly opened it, wincing at the small squeaking it made. I spared a glance at Helma, but she didn't stir.

I swiftly exited the house, closing the door behind me.

...

I stood at the edge of the city, leaned up against the polished russet-colored railing, gazing at the small structure that stood in the middle of the sea, looming over the city in a slightly intimidating, yet protective and confident way.

My dad.

I felt my eyes begin to sting slightly, and shut them tightly.

_Now's not the time to cry, Kya. You need to get over it. _

Yet, even as I thought this, I knew that no matter how many times I told myself this, it wasn't going to happen. How could it?

"Young lady, what on earth are you doing up at this time of night?"

My whole body tensed up, and then I froze. I recognized that voice - of course I did. I'd heard it many times; on accident, and sometimes on purpose.

Tenzin.

I realized that he was asking me a question a few seconds late. Clearing my throat, I struggled to get words out. I'd never spoken to him before. He'd never even seen me before.

_At least, not for many, many years..._

Shaking off the thought, I took a deep breath and responded, in a slightly higher-pitched voice, "Oh, just getting some fresh air."

I could practically see him raising an eyebrow, even though I was still turned around. "At four in the morning?" He questioned.

"I have imonsia," I lied pathetically, biting my tongue. "I never sleep, practically. I'm sleepless."

I could've slapped my forehead at my stupidity.

"Well," Tenzin began, "couldn't you simply lay awake in your bed, instead of going out into the city. You should know that being out this late underage is forbidden."

"I'm not underage," I lied quickly. "I'm eighteen."

"I don't think I'll believe that until I see your face. How about you turn around?"

_Think fast, Kya._

"Er, I need to get home for dinner."

_Smooth. Real smooth. _

"Dinner?" Tenzin asked, clearly incredulous. "It's four in the-"

"Goodbye!" I squeaked, cutting him off. Then, before he could say anything else, I dashed out of the area and ran as fast as I could down the street.

...

I waited for at least twenty minutes before going back. I was reluctant at first, but I soon caved into the devil on my shoulder. I made my way back to the spot by the railing that I had previously been.

Then, I dived into the water.

I made a bubble around myself and pushed myself through the water. The images from my dream suddenly burst into my mind, and just like that, my arms dropped and the bubble popped.

I was completely submerged in water.

Normally, I wouldn't have panicked. But the nightmare was still fresh in my mind, waiting like a cat, ready to spring.

I attempted to calm myself down. I could get out of this. I pushed myself to the surface, and began to swim towards the large statue.

Once I got there, I pulled myself out of the water. I took a deep breath, and walked up to the main part of the island. After climbing for a short while, I found myself standing directly in front of the statue.

For a moment, as I looked up at the statue, it was as if the world stopped spinning. There was complete silence, and my head was locked in place. I forced myself to crane my neck down towards the plaque that was embedded at the bottom.

_Avatar Aang_

_12 BSC - 153 ASC_

The burning in my eyes was back, and it was worse than ever.

My knees suddenly felt wobbly, and before I knew it, I had crashed to the ground below me, pain erupting in my legs. The burning grew worse and worse, and I finally let one tear slide down my cheek.

_Don't cry, Kya. Don't you _dare _cry._

But I did.

For once in my life, I didn't hold back. I sat there pathetically on my knees, and burst into tears like I wouldn't live another day.

Sometimes I wondered if I would.

**So...did you love it? Did you hate it? Tell me in a review! Comments are loved, flames are accepted, and criticism is (as a wise fanfiction author once said) put up on a pedestal and worshipped. **

**-Maria**

**P.S.**

**I know it may seemed like I just left a huge plot hole, considering where the prologue left off. But I have my reasons! Don't worry; her odd age and such will be explained throughout the story. **


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